Wednesday, May 11, 2011

iRobot will use Android tablets to power service robots

iRobot CEO Colin Angle hopes to create a market for mid-range service robots. And is there something better than a robot serving as your daily helper? The robot, named AVA, will be powered by Android tablets! The Android tablet, a Motorola XOOM in this case, will serve as the processing and sensory core, while the iRobot machinery underneath will provide the mobility and physical functions.

Colin Angle explains how the tablet and AVA came together: "We in the robot industry realized this is a fantastic head for a robot...what was missing was the body." With the front-facing camera, microphone, speakers, and accelerometer, the XOOM has everythings needed.

Some keen readers might remember that AVA was initially demonstrated with an iPad at CES. Colin explains that the change was made for features like voice and video chat. "We're tablet-agnostic...Right now, Android has what we need," explains Colin.

Android powered Motorola was chosen over Apple's iPad.
What do you guys think?
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